Birthday Celebration - Plans Changed

Last year, we planned to celebrate my birthday at Fox & Hound at the local open air mall. It's a bar and grill and has decent food. It was to be Matt's side of the family. When we arrived, we found out they were charging a $5 cover charge that night because of a pay-per-view fight on TV and of course, no one under 21 was allowed! Well, since the two kids were along, we ended up at SmokeyBones. It's okay, but not what I had been hoping for.

Well, tonight, Matt's parents offered to watch the kids and send Matt & I out to dinner for my birthday (which is Monday). I'd been hungry for a tenderloin from a local restaurant called Red River. We don't usually take the kids there because it's more of a quiet setting. I was really looking forward to it for the last few weeks.

Matt called me shortly after lunch today. He was on his way past the restaurant and noticed about 6 firetrucks and 8 police cars there!!! So much for dinner tonight! Apparently, there was a fire in the nightclub adjacent to the restaurant (part of the same building as Red River and the Marriott). We read later that Red River was to reopen at 5:00, so I guess we could have gone there, but I didn't want a burnt tenderloin!

Several months back, Matt was supposed to had a conference at the Marriott where Red River is. There was a fire at the restaurant that day, too, and instead of the restaurant's food, they ended up having pizza! 2 fires in less than a year is pretty bad! Both were apparently caused by wiring in the neon signs. If I were them, those signs will be destroyed and no more neon signs put in their place.

We ended up at Pine Valley Bar & Grill. We used to go there often when they were at there old location. At that time, they had a family room and kids were allowed. Now, they've gone strictly to 21 and over.

So much for the tenderloin I was hoping for. Oh well, at least my food still tasted good.